England manager Thomas Tuchel has secured a victory off the pitch at the World Cup after he complained about being blocked by photographers ahead of last night’s 4-2 victory over Croatia. 

Tuchel was left upset that as the Three Lions sang the national anthem, he was swarmed by photographers, meaning he was unable to see his own players. 

‘I’m begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers, because I could not see my team [during] the national anthem, and I was waiting for this moment,’ he said after the game.

However, Daily Mail Sport can reveal that FIFA will change their pre-match protocol, and coaching staff will now move down the touchline so they can watch the national anthems.

In a video that captured the stand-off, Tuchel looked furious with the snappers and could be heard to say: ‘Very close guys, you’re very close. You’re very close I cannot see anything.’ 

The German then gestured with his arms and looked to make his way past them before he stepped back and linked arms with the rest of his staff as ‘God Save the King’ started. 

Thomas Tuchel was left fuming with a group of photographers at England’s World Cup opener

Tuchel was upset that he couldn’t see his own players when they sang the national anthem

He instead chose to look up at the stadium’s big screen to see his players. 

Tuchel then confronted the photographers, who were right in front of his dugout, for a second time, and gesticulated to someone off camera about how close they were.

He could be heard to say: ‘What is this?,’ and he muttered something to himself.

Tuchel again complained about their positioning until he went back to stand in his dugout for the Croatia national anthem.

‘It was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of 50 photographers half a metre away and I could not see one single player,’ Tuchel added. 

‘It ruined a little bit my experience today.’

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